Driver of stolen vehicle crashes into home, leaves scene

The driver of a stolen pickup truck plowed through a gathering of trees and into the side of a Boscawen home Tuesday just before midnight, fleeing the scene before the police arrived. No one was injured.

“I thought it was an earthquake,” said a resident of the bottom floor of the home, a duplex at 25 Tremont St.

The resident, who only gave his name as Josh, said he went to bed about 10:40 p.m. that night. About 11:20 p.m., he felt and heard a loud crash that shook the house. When he got outside, he found a green 2012 Ford F-150 against the side of the home, and the driver was nowhere in sight.

About that same time, the Concord police received a report that the truck had been stolen from a property near the corner of Elm and Village streets just before the Penacook/Boscawen town line. The police could not acquire any evidence from the vehicle, and because of the rain and heavy police presence a canine was unable to follow any scent of the driver. The police are still investigating the theft and crash.

“With no evidence or anything like that, we’re hoping someone might have seen someone or might have an idea,” said Sgt. Jason Killary of the Boscawen Police Department.

The crash shifted the house about 4 inches on its frame and knocked down two electrical panels. The residents, including a family of seven who lives upstairs, will be temporarily relocated.

The vehicle was traveling southbound on Tremont Street, away from the nearby traffic circle at the intersection with King Street. The driver went off the road and plowed through six hemlock trees before hitting the side of 25 Tremont St. Those trees are part of the neighboring property at 29 Tremont St. The residents of that home were not available yesterday afternoon for comment. Most of the trees are now taken down, with remains of branches strewn across the lawn. One tree is drooping over into the shoulder of the road.

Driving first through the trees lessened the impact of the truck on the home, Killary said. Josh said he is glad his two children, who stay with him on weekends, weren’t in the home at the time. His daughter’s bed sits against the wall where the truck hit, and it slid across the room from the impact. The upstairs family wasn’t available for comment yesterday.

The New Hampshire State Police and Concord Police Department assisted at the scene Tuesday night.